Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Citizens, several GOP Senators are steaming mad about something. No, it's not that we didn't escalate the war in Afghanistan enough or the fact that our health care system is about become socialist, far from it. It's that they're mad at Sen. Al Franken, because they voted against his little "rape is bad, people should be allowed to file charges over it" bill and some nasty people have used that to imply that they don't have sufficient consciences or functioning human souls. Also: that they love rape. So they've pushed back as best they can, crying as hard they can that mean Mr. Franken is hurting their feelings with his rape legislation.

The Republicans are steamed at Franken because partisans on the left are using a measure he sponsored to paint them as rapist sympathizers — and because Franken isn’t doing much to stop them.

“Trying to tap into the natural sympathy that we have for this victim of this rape —and use that as a justification to frankly misrepresent and embarrass his colleagues, I don’t think it’s a very constructive thing,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said in an interview....In a chamber where relationship-building is seen as critical, some GOP senators question whether Franken’s handling of the amendment could damage his ability to work across the aisle.

Yeah, John, I know how it is. I feel for you. I mean I would feel pretty bent out of shape if people thought I was for rape just because I voted against a law that made it so that people who were raped while serving for a government contractor could sue to prosecute it in civil court. I mean rape is bad, but we can't go around allowing people to attempt to receive legal justice for it just because it happened. How anyone could try to turn your opposition into a view that you're somehow callous and uncaring towards rape victims is beyond me. It's like Franken took that bill and violated you with it against your will. There should be a law against something like that.

Really though, I just want to chastise all of you who think that this is just a bunch of petty, crybaby whining from the GOP. Clearly Franken is responsible for the court of public opinion deeming them scumbags just because they're trying to defend the indefensible. He should do what they want: apologize for trying to further criminalize rape and come out vigorously defending the 30 Senators who think prosecuting rape is a bridge too far. It's really the only logical solution.